State offers 12 sites on ‘Covered Bridge Trail’Fall is top time of year to visit historical bridges and view foliage throughout Alabama

Fall is a favorite time to visit Alabama's Covered Bridge Trail for mild weather and fall foliage.

The Alabama Bureau of Tourism lists the following 12 covered bridges on the trail.

For more information online, go to the bureau's Web site: www.800alabama.com/things-to-do/tours-trails/covered-bridge/.

1. Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge: Located on the University of West Alabama campus in Sumter County. Built over the Surcarnoochee River in 1861 of hand-hewn heartpine timbers joined with wooden pegs, and later moved to Alamuchee Creek, this is West Alabama's only remaining covered bridge. In 1969, it was restored and moved to its current location.

3. Swann Covered Bridge: Located one mile west of Cleveland off Alabama 79 in Blount County. Free admission. Spanning 324 feet and situated high above the rocky riverbed of the Black Warrior River, this bridge is the longest covered bridge still in existence in the state. It was built about 1933.

4. Old Easley Covered Bridge: Located 1.5 mi. from U.S. 231 in Blount County. Free admission. This one-span town bridge was built in 1930. Tin covered and in fairly good repair, all 95 feet of its single span are preserved for enthusiastic back-wood travelers or for those searching for treasure of a nostalgic era.

5. Horton Mill Bridge: Located just off Alabama 75 in Blount County. Free admission. Built in 1935, this is one of the highest covered bridges in the nation, standing at 70 feet above the Black Warrior River. It is also one of three that still exist in Blount County, Alabama's Covered Bridge Capital and home of the Covered Bridge Festival each fall.

6. Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge: Located at the Shady Grove Dude Ranch near Mentone. Free admission. The 90-foot-long bridge spans the West Fork of Little River. It was moved from Lincoln in 1972 and was rebuilt in 1980, over an existing cable bridge from the late-1800s.

7. Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge: Located in the scenic setting of Noccalula Falls Park in Etowah County. Admission charged to the park. This 1899 bridge was made of rough-hewn lumber and covered with weathered shingles. It was hauled to the pioneer setting of Noccalula Falls Park in 1968 and carefully restored.

8. Coldwater Covered Bridge: Located at Oxford Lake and Walking Trail in Calhoun County. Free admission. One of Alabama's oldest remaining covered bridges, this structure was built in 1850 by a former slave. It was later restored and moved from Coldwater Creek to its current location.

9. Waldo Covered Bridge: Located east of Alabama 77 in Talladega County. Free admission. Built in 1858, this is one of Alabama's oldest covered bridges. About 115 feet long, it spans Talladega Creek and rests on two stone piers on site of old Socopatoy Indian Trail.

10. Kymulga Grist Mill and Covered Bridge: Located in Kymulga Grist Mill Park in Talladega County. Admission charged to the park. This 1860s, 105-foot covered bridge spans scenic Talladega Creek and lies adjacent to Kymulga Grist Mill, which is still operational. Nature trails and beautiful scenery make for a romantic getaway.

12. Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge: Located Southeast of Opelika in Lee County. Free admission. Built at the turn of the century over Wacoochee Creek, this 75-foot town-truss bridge features oak pegs, which join latticework, roof trusses and the bridge's substructure.